PGNC Events and Notes, sent 22 July, 2017

Club members and supporters are invited to help out on Tuesday July 25 to cut flower heads of common tansy and Canada Thistle. We will also dig out clumps of immature tansy plants where feasible. Meet at the small parking lot at The Exploration Place, 333 Becott Place in Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park to register. We will walk to the Wetland from there.

Long pants, long-sleeved shirts and closed-toe footwear are recommended as we will be working in tall grass. If possible,bring your own hand tool for cutting off flowers and seed heads, work gloves and a personal water bottle. Long bladed trimmers are also useful. The Club will provide garbage bags as well as extra work gloves and clippers if someone needs them. The work is suitable for adults and teens. Non-members, especially temporary visitors to Prince George, are most welcome to join us for some outdoor therapy! For more information, contact Dora at hunterdora@shaw.ca.

2. Wednesday Walkers, July 26

On this walk we will circumnavigate Shane Lake at Forests for the World. Bring your binoculars to view the flotillas of young ducks that are often spotted there each summer. Because the trail is not rugged, sturdy shoes are adequate for hiking. We’ll meet in the parking lot at the Spruceland Shopping Mall at the corner of 5th Avenue and Hwy 97 under the big Save On Foods sign. We meet there, at 9:20 a.m. for a 9:30 a.m. departure time, to sign a waiver and arrange car-pooling. All are welcome on this hike. We extend a special welcome to fire evacuees.

3. Hike at Pidherny Bog Trail (Swamp X), Saturday, July 29

This hike will do a loop from Summer Place. The trail is on a combination of retired Forest Service Roads and mountain bike trails. A boardwalk aids crossing the bog, where we’ll see Sundew and Bog Cranberry. There are a few long hills and several short steeper hills, so you might want to bring your walking stick and wear sturdy shoes. Bring water, bug repellent and, as we’ll be out for a few hours, a snack. We’ll meet in the parking lot at the Spruceland Shopping Mall at the corner of 5th Avenue and Hwy 97 under the big Save On Foods sign, at 9:20 a.m. for a 9:30 a.m. departure time, to sign a waiver and arrange car-pooling. All are welcome on this hike. We extend a special welcome to fire evacuees.

Report on July 12 Wednesday Walk:

Our visit to Ferguson Lake Nature Park added some new species to our checklist for the park. Most notable were Creeping Snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula) and Spotted Coral-root (Corallorhiza maculata). At a glance the Creeping Snowberry could be confused with either Bog Cranberry or even Twinflower. As our photo shows it loves to perch on a sphagnum-covered stump. The Coral-root, like all in that genus, is a saprophyte feeding on decaying matter in the soil – no need for food-producing green leaves or even sunny days.

Club Notes

1. Mugaha Banding Station, Mackenzie – Volunteers Needed

Message from Vi Lambie: Mackenzie Nature Observatory still has some openings for volunteers for this fall season. A couple of our long term volunteers had to cancel their times at the banding station so more time is available. If you are interested in volunteering for a few days during any of these time periods please let us know. Dates available: July 26 – August 2, August 12 – August 17, August 21 – August 24, August 30 – September 7, September 11- September14. We started banding on July 19th. We open at sunrise (time is adjusted at the 15 min interval) – at present the opening round is 5 am and we close at 11 am. For more information please send an email to Vi Lambie at JLambie@telus.net